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Dwight Howard has been on a downward trajectory for most of the past decade. He wasn’t just a perennial All-Star, at his peak, Howard was considered the league’s premier big man.
德怀特·霍华德在过去十年的大部分时间里都在走下坡路。过去他不仅仅是一个常年的全明星，在他的巅峰时期，霍华德被认为是联盟的头号大个子。
trajectory [trəˈdʒektəri] n.(射体在空中的) 轨道，弹道，轨迹;
premier：[ˈpremiə(r)]adj. 首要的；第一的；最初的n. 总理，首相；（加拿大的）地区总理
Much is made of his three Defensive Player of the Year awards but Howard’s signature accomplishment remains the Magic’s trip to the 2009 NBA Finals, beating the Celtics and LeBron’s Cavaliers along the way.
尽管三获年度最佳防守球员的荣誉完全值得被大肆吹捧，但霍华德的标志性成就仍然是率领魔术队在2009年的季后赛中连克击败凯尔特人队和拥有詹姆斯的骑士队，历史性的闯进总决赛。
along the way:一路上
时间回溯到十余年前，那时的霍华德单核带队打进总决赛，更是单换詹姆斯的存在，曾经的最佳防守球员，最佳阵容，全明星，奥运会金牌，还有令世人铭记的超人扣篮王。这些超人的关环令他不能自拔，可再鬼魅的魔术也有被揭穿的一天…
As recently as last summer, Howard was a laughingstock who, if not for the Lakers, would probably have been out of the league. Not only did his plodding, post-oriented style make him a dinosaur.
就在去年夏天，霍华德还是一个笑柄，如果不是湖人，他可能早就被联盟淘汰了。霍华德不再敏捷的身手、和过时的风格让他难以适应现代篮球的节奏。
plod [plɑːd] v.艰难地行走; 吃力地行进; n.沉重缓慢的前进; 沉重的踏步声;
He was also deservedly seen as a locker room cancer, a black hole of undeserved ego who either didn’t understand or just didn’t care that his behavior affected others.
他也被理所当然地视为更衣室里的毒瘤，一个自我意识膨胀的黑洞，他不理解也根本不在乎他的行为会影响到别人。
自离开魔术之后，霍华德再也没了往昔的风采, 没有哪支球队能容下这个过气又麻烦的魔兽。舞榭歌台，风流总被雨打风吹去。霍华德给予球迷的篮球记忆险些随着挥霍的青春而萧萧落幕…
Nearing the end of the 2019 NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers took a risk signing Dwight Howard to a non-guaranteed contract.
在2019年NBA休赛期即将结束之际，洛杉矶湖人队以一个无保障合同冒险签下了霍华德。
non-guaranteed:无保障的
这份来自曾经效力过湖人的非保障合同无疑是霍华德救赎之旅的开始。他不再眷恋虚荣，不再追求数据，不再抱怨，昔日联盟第一中锋甘愿作麦基的替补。如今的魔兽成熟的让人心疼。
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浪子回头金不换，衣锦还乡做贤人
Howard has been a canny veteran for the Lakers as JaVale McGee‘s backup center and an energy guy whose enthusiasm is infectious.
作为贾维尔·麦基的替补中锋，霍华德是湖人精明的老将，他的热情是有感染力的。
The most important factor in all of this is that Howard has been really good this season. He and McGee combined have created one of the league’s most powerful big men, averaging 14.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game as a tandem. Those numbers are better than that of Rudy Gobert.
其中最重要的因素是霍华德这个赛季出色的表现。他和麦基一起为湖人队提供了全联盟最好的内线保障。他们场均能拿下14.6分，13.1个篮板，1.0次抢断，3.2次盖帽。这些数据都比鲁迪·戈伯特的要好。
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魔兽终于进化成快乐兽
Beyond the success Howard has had, what’s undeniable is the fact that he has been one of the most fun players on this team all season. It’s clear he’s enjoying the game far more than he has in recent seasons.
除了霍华德的成功之外，不可否认的是他整个赛季都是球队中最有趣的球员之一。很明显，他比最近几个赛季更享受比赛。
undeniable [ˌʌndɪˈnaɪəbl] adj.不可否认的; 确凿的;
“I think a lot of times in the past it wasn’t accepted for guys to have fun like this on the court. But I think what it’s showing is just pure joy,” Howard said. “For me, this is like my sanctuary. For artists, they want to show how thankful they are, they make music. For a basketball player, it’s on the court.”
“我想在过去很多时候，男人们像我这样在球场上纯粹地享受乐趣是不被接受的。但我认为它所展示的只是纯粹的快乐，”霍华德说。“对我来说，这就像我的避难所。对于艺术家来说，他们要是想要表达他们是多么的感性，他们就写下乐曲。而对于篮球运动员来说，快乐就该在球场上。”
sanctuary [ˈsæŋktʃueri] n.庇护; 保护; 避难所;
Howard has clearly found his love for the sport again and playing good basketball on a championship contender definitely means he likely won’t lose that joy.
很明显，霍华德又找回了对这项运动的热爱，在一支有实力竞争总冠军的队伍中打好篮球意味着他不会失去这份快乐。
definitely:[ˈdefɪnətli] adv. 清楚地，当然；明确地，肯定地
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超人归来，重返扣篮大赛
After over a decade, Howard is reportedly participating in the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest. Of course, most fans' minds instantly flew to the 2008 event, in which Howard threw on a Superman cape and jammed it home from the free throw line.
据报道，十多年后，霍华德将参加2020年NBA扣篮大赛。当然，大多数球迷的脑海里立刻浮现出2008年的那场比赛，霍华德披上超人披风，将球从罚球线上灌进篮框。
Whether he’s actually able to do anything interesting at the Dunk Contest next month, Dwight Howard participating at all certainly makes the event more inherently interesting than it would have been otherwise.
不管下个月的扣篮大赛上他能不能做点什么有趣的事，德怀特·霍华德参加扣篮大赛肯定会让这件事变得更有趣。
participate [pɑːrˈtɪsɪpeɪt] v.参加; 参与;
We know that it’s impossible for Howard to get back to where he once was. But it feels pretty good to have him back.
我们知道霍华德不可能回到他曾经的高度，但他能从迷失中找回自我也是一件足够好的事。